Thursday, January 31, 2008

A few nights ago, I was reminded of what it was like to have a new born again. Hannah has been sick this week, probably worse than she has ever been. On Tuesday night, she woke up about 4 times in the middle of the night and I had to rock her back to sleep. I haven't had to get up with her in the middle of the night since she was 8 months old. It's funny how you forget what it's like to get up with a baby. I think this is why so many of us have children so quickly after the first because we forget what it's like to wake up with them in the night......and then there are those babies that are angels, sleeping through the night when they are newborns. Anyway, getting up with Hannah was enough to make me want to wait a little bit longer until I get pregnant again.

As far as me getting sick goes, all I have to say is one thing:

ECHINACEA + ME = B.F.F. (best friends forever)

For anyone who may not know what this is, it's a supplement that helps your immune system. It's awesome! I have the immune system of a pea (I don't even know if that makes sense) and I get sick often. Since I've been in Utah, it's actually gotten better, but as soon as I smell a whiff of a cold coming on, I have to take Echinacea. If I take it on time, I only get the small effects of a cold.

OK......this is about the lamest blog I have ever done, but I had to write something. Hopefully, I will post some pics of Hannah soon.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

I have been preparing myself for President Hinckley's death for some time now, so I was not surprised when I came home tonight from visiting teaching to Scott with watery eyes, telling me that he had passed away around 7:00pm. He has been a wonderful man and prophet, and when I think of my adolescent/teen/young adult years, he will be the prophet that I will remember. He was always happy, and you could tell that he had a certain light about him. I know that he is going straight to heaven with his wife Marjorie. Anyway, I just wanted to do a tribute to him because I love him very much and am grateful for him.

This weekend, Scott and I were able to go on TWO dates alone. It's very rare that this happens, so it's definitely something to blog about. Yesterday we were able to hang out with our friends Seth and Fabiola. We haven't seen them in quite a long time, so it was fun hanging out. It seems like that happens a lot around here. We have friends that we would like to hang out with that don't live in Provo, but we often don't see them for months at a time because things get busy. Anyway, so we decided to go to lunch with them at a BBQ smokehouse. Afterwards, we dropped Hannah off at some girls' house and went ice skating. Here are a few pics:

I look incredibly white standing next to Seth and Fabiola.

There are many things that Scott is good at:1. Reading2. Playing basketball3. math

However, ice skating is not one of them. He told me before we went that he didn't like ice skating and that he couldn't do it. I thought, 'Oh, he's just being modest. Everyone can ice skate if they try hard enough.' Well, the first time we went out on the ice he could not let go of the side wall. His ankles kept turning in like the picture above, so he could not stand on his skates straight. I must admit, it was the funniest thing I have ever seen in our almost 4 years of marriage. I was really proud of him, though, because he kept trying. He was willing to keep going around the rink, even though his ankles were killing him. By the time we were ready to go, Scott was able to make it around the rink, holding my hand, without touching the wall at all. He made major progress, and I think that if we were to go more often, he would be able to master skating on his own.........after all, this was only his second time going in his life.

On Friday night, we got a call around 3:45pm asking if we wanted to go the Kings/Jazz game by one of Scott's co-workers. I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to go, but it worked out great. Hollie and Jarin were able to take Hannah (thanks again). We rushed to get Hannah to meet Hollie in Orem on time, then we rushed to Scott's co-worker's house to get the tickets, then we rushed to the game during traffic hour. Everything turned out perfect, despite all of the rushing. We got tickets to go to a buffet on the bottom floor of the Energy Solutions Arena. I had no idea people could go down there. So, before the game started we had a delicious meal and dessert. During half time, this place was also serving nachos, drinks, and popcorn for anyone that had tickets. We were stuffed! Our seats were only 19 rows up. We could see everything very clearly (except I did have a man in front of me with a huge head.....it was kind of hard to see around it). The Kings lost, of course, and Ron Artest was getting booed left and right, but the experience was the best. We got free parking, free dinner, and awesome free tickets!I had to take a picture when the Kings were up by a little bit, because I knew that it wasn't going to last long.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Now that I am done with school, days seem to run together and I often feel bored......especially since it is winter. It seems like this is the worst winter since we have been here in Utah (maybe I've just forgotten what past winters were like). It seems to snow several times a week, every week. The street that we live seems like it has not been plowed since the first time it snowed, so there is ice everywhere. I can't wait for spring when I can get out and go for a walk.

Even though this winter has been depressing, watching Hannah learn new things every day has been very rewarding. Here is a video of her with the puzzle she got from G-ma Julia and G-pa Greg for Christmas. She LOVES it. Every day she points to her toy box and says, "puzzle." I never knew she was in to puzzles, but this is good for me to know for future presents. She also loves the nursery rhymes book that my dad got her and the pop up animals that my mom got her (she finally learned how to do all 5 of them). Anyway, these past few weeks Hannah has always let me put the puzzle pieces in the right spot, and then she would push them in. She finally learned how to do the puzzle herself. It's funny how every mother thinks their child is the smartest child on earth. I'm sure any 15 month old baby could do a puzzle if she or he had the practice, but I get so proud of Hannah when she figures out new things. She surprises me everyday with a new word or action that she learns. Anyway, here is the video:

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Hello Everyone -For those of you who do not remember me, my name is Scott Randall Sprague, husband to Maran and father of Hannah. It has been quite a while since I have blogged anything, but here I am.Life is really good right now. It is busy, but I am really enjoying it right now. School is great. I have been telling people that I was nervous to start at BYU, because it was going to be like leaving high school to attend college, but there is more truth to that than I had hoped. Classes are fun, but a lot more time consuming than I was used to at UVSC. It is to be expected, and to be honest, I am not complaining. It makes me apply myself more, which makes me feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when I do well on a quiz or homework assignment. Now, I realize that the semester has, in the words of Karen Carpenter, only just begun, but I think that I can do OK if I stay on track. It feels good to be a Cougar, and am glad I am in such good company.My calling serving in the Bishopric is also going very well. I really enjoy the friendships that I have made with the members there. I catch myself calling them kids sometimes, which really makes no sense because some are just as old or older than I am. They really are great, and the Bishop is a great man, who I really enjoy working with.Now, what would a post from me be without mentioning the Kings? If anyone remembers, last year I tried really hard to take time off from them, but in the end, it did not work. Things this year are a lot better. Their record is not great, in fact, they are still six games out of the playoffs at 17-22. They are, though, playing like they want to win, even though they don't have the talent that they once had. Reggie Theus, who some of you might remember as a NBA player, while others might remember from the great TV series, "Hang Time," is the current coach, and is getting the best out of these guys.

Work is also going well. OK, as good as retail can go may be a better term. It really is not that bad though. I go to work, do what I have to, and then come home. I don't have to think about it when I am not there, and probably get paid too much for what I actually do. They have been very good with my school schedule, offer tuition reimbursement, and are always a good topic of conversation when I am getting my hair cut. (Do you really sell Easy Buttons? Yes. Aren't you right there on University Parkway? Nope, that would be either Office Max or Office Depot, take your pick. Is Mitt Romney your head boss? Nope, but he did help fund the company.)

And, for the most important parts of my life, Maran and Hannah, they are doing great. Maran is a great mom, and is teaching Hannah so many things. Mama is Hannah's favorite word, and loves saying it as soon as I pick her up. We have good times together though, Maran just has to be in the other room.That is it from me. Hopefully I will post more, but I am making no promises. Until next time, go Kings!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Yesterday Hannah received the first bruise on her face. I don't know if you can see it in this picture (it's on her upper left cheek), but it looked pretty painful. She knocked her face on a wooden tray. I still have nightmares of myself bumping my head or slipping on the kitchen floor while it's wet. Maybe all of the times we hurt ourselves as children is the reason why when we are falling asleep we think about scary things like this and jump (or is it just me that does that? I did slip and fall on the kitchen floor several times after mom mopped it as a child....maybe more than most children do). On a side note, Hannah is a typical girl who loves sparkly jewelry. I gave her some bracelets and a necklace to place with while I was in the shower and when I came out, she had all three bracelets around her wrist and the necklace around her neck.As far as the bump goes, Scott got rear-ended last week on his way home from work. The only damage it did was this perfectly round circle. If you look closely, you can actually see two circles. My only guess would be that this was the indent from the screws on their license plate. It's kind of strange, though.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Here are a few silly moments that have happened over the past week.This picture is hilarious to me because she closed her eyes on purpose.

She has been getting herself into this position lately. I have a picture of myself doing this as a baby as well.

Another huge mess.......she dumped a half a box of fish crackers on to the floor and started crawling all over them, smashing them into the carpet.

playing in her toy box

Finally, she has been walking a lot more. Here is a quick video of her taking 4 steps. She's getting very close to walking and will do it when she's good and ready. She usually hates it when Scott and I make her walk and will refuse to do it. I think she'll get better as the days go by, though.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

I have a lot of pictures from our trip to California, so bare with me. We had a lot of fun on our trip and often wish that we could live in Sac town again, but we will just have to stick it out a few more years here in freezing cold Utah. Here are some pictures of our trip.....Hannah on Grandma D's swing. She loves to swing.

Allie pushing Hannah on the swing

Allie.....so cute!

Opening presents on Christmas Eve with my mom and Dave. Hannah got an adorable homemade dress, a toy, and some cute boots.

Hannah and Dominic playing with her new toy

On Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Annie's house and had a delicious meal.

Hannah and Aunt Annie's grandson, Ian, on Scott's lap

Christmas morning we were at Scott's parent's house. Hannah got a lot of books, outfits, and toys from Grandma Julia and Grandpa Greg. She was very spoiled this Christmas by all of her grandparents. From Grandma and Grandpa Price she got some toys and from Grandpa Sprague a gift card to Gap. Thank you to EVERYONE who gave us presents! We were all very spoiled.

Eating an apple on Christmas morning.

Christmas afternoon we spent at my mom's house. Every year we have lasagna with meatballs and sausage, and I have missed it terribly for the last two years because we were not able to go home for Christmas. It was delicious, as usual, and I hope that we can come back next year.

Christmas Day

This is the kid's table at my mom's house. They don't look too happy:)

Hannah eating her meatballs.....I think she is a true Price/Trasmundi because she loved it!

I looked over a few minutes into eating my lasagna meal and saw Ella and Allie sitting at the kid's table alone. It's funny how when you're a kid you really don't care much about eating (well, maybe if it's treats) but now that I am older I could not wait to eat this meal.

The day after Christmas, my dad met us at In-n-Out and took the kids to the park next to his house. It was freezing outside, but I think all of the kids had a lot of fun.

Kaden and Hailey on this teeter totter thing.

Thursday we went bowling with the Spragues.

Here's Scott bowling. He did really awesome and scored a 161 in one of the games. I only scored a 111, but I also only played one of the three games because I wasn't feeling very well and Hannah was being a stinker.

Scott's dad, who took the cake. He scored the most points when adding up the three games total points and won by one point. I guess Scott and I will have to practice so we can beat him next time:)

When I count "1,2,3" to take a picture, Hannah knows the flash is about to come, so half of our pictures have her eyes half closed, similar to this one.

Hannah and her first cousin once removed, Sara....they both don't look too happy. Okay, on a side note, I thought Sara and Hannah were second cousins but I just looked it up and they are considered first cousins once removed. Also, mom- I was listening to my video camera of you and Jessica wondering what Audriana and Hannah were to each other and they are considered second cousins. Hannah and Jessica are first cousins once removed. Anyway, I have been wondering this for awhile so I had to look it up.

On Wednesday night, Scott and I got the privilege of going to a Kings game (thanks to his parents). They were playing the Celtics and got their butts whooped, but it was still a lot of fun.

Scott's dad was also at the game but was sitting a few sections away from us.

Before the game, Scott and I got to go up to the court and watch the players practice. This is Mikki Moore, one of the Kings players that was about two feet in front of us. We didn't get his autograph, but on Friday Scott went to another Kings game without me and got Kevin Martin's autograph (who we think is a better player) and also got up on the big screen in front of everyone. I don't have pictures of that, though.

Friday I was sick and tried to stay in bed most of the day. As mentioned earlier, Scott was able to go to another Kings game that night without me. On Saturday, we were able to go to a crab feed at my mom's neighbor's house, which Scott found to be delicious. Then, we had to say goodbye to everyone so that we could leave Sunday to come back here to Utah. We didn't get pictures of our Christmas with my dad and Vickie or with Scott's dad, so I apologize about that. We did have a lot of fun, even though I ended up getting sick and Hannah was so exhausted from the trip that she's still trying to catch up on sleep (she slept around 16 hours on Monday).

Scott and I feel like Hannah grew up a little bit on this trip. Even though she's not walking yet, she is acting more and more like a toddler. Just as Kerrie caught Allie practicing her "mine"s, I caught Hannah practicing her "No"s. I was listening to her through the monitor and heard her saying over and over again, "Nnnnnno." It's funny and was bound to happen eventually. Hopefully I can teach her not to say it to everyone, though, including me.

Anyway, last but not least, on New Year's Eve Scott and I watched a movie that we got for Christmas and fell asleep before midnight. We are getting too old. Next week Scott starts up school at BYU, and I am officially done with school forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. A big thanks to my mom and Dave and Greg and Julia for letting us stay with you guys and eat your food.